Testing the buffering hypothesis: Breastfeeding problems, cessation, and social support in the UK.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Physical breastfeeding problems can lead women to terminate breastfeeding earlier than planned. In high-income countries such as the UK, breastfeeding problems have been attributed to the cultural and individual "inexperience" of breastfeeding, ultimately leading to lower breastfeeding rates. Yet, cross-cultural evidence suggests breastfeeding problems still occur in contexts where breastfeeding is common, prolonged, and seen publicly. This suggests breastfeeding problems are not unusual and do not necessarily lead to breastfeeding cessation. As humans evolved to raise children cooperatively, what matters for breastfeeding continuation may be the availability of social support during the postnatal period. Here, we test the hypothesis that social support buffers mothers f

SUBMITTER: Page AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11475338 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature